Box Office: ‘Lone Ranger’ Feeling Despicable on Fourth of July

Disney’s big-budget Western had a rough time wrangling moviegoers on the Fourth of July as Universal’s “Despicable Me 2” continued to break records.

“The Lone Ranger,” starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, earned a dismal $9.9 million at the box office Thursday, bringing its box office total to just $19.5 million in two days of release.

The $250 million “Lone Ranger,” with its five-day projection just shy of $47 million, will need a massive yet unlikely spark overseas if it wants to avoid becoming one of the biggest flops in Hollywood history.

On the other end of the spectrum, “Despicable Me 2” grossed a stellar $24.5 million for the second-best Fourth of July performance since “Transformers.” The Illumination Entertainment toon, which opened Wednesday, also scored the third-highest opening day for an animation movie behind “Toy Story 3” and “Shrek the 3rd.”

Produced for only $76 million, “Despicable Me 2” has accumulated $59.5 million domestically and over $134.5 million at the worldwide box office.

The 3D pic, starring Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig, is expected to reach nearly $140 million by Sunday.